


Innocence

by LikeABulletThroughAFlockOfDoves



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: College, F/M, Jae-Ha is a theatre kid, M/M, Modern AU, Theatre, and Kija is a dancer, dance, first meetings and stuff, ok this was a random idea that just kinda popped up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-24
Updated: 2016-09-12
Packaged: 2018-06-04 05:26:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6643129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LikeABulletThroughAFlockOfDoves/pseuds/LikeABulletThroughAFlockOfDoves
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He frowned, watching the person in the room. They had headphones blocking out the world as they twirled in the empty space. Obviously a dance student, Jae Ha could tell that much from the elegance of his movements.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

College wasn't easy for Jae Ha. Not only were there endless amounts of work, limited dorm space and no escape at holidays due to his terrible family relationships, but he had also managed to lock himself out of his dorm. He sighed. Hak, his roommate, wouldn't be back from classes until late, and even then, he'd probably be hanging out with his girlfriend, Yona, for ages. Jae Ha glared at the door as though it had personally insulted him. The best he could hope for was to go back to the drama studio.

_At least it will be empty_ , he thought as he trudged down the hallway. Most students had already set off for home as the holidays started. Only a few select classes were still running. Jae Ha's theatre teacher was happy to let him use the drama studio - he was one of her favourite students, after all.

He stepped outside, pulling up the purple scarf bundled around his shoulders. His breath made little clouds in the still December air and the Christmas lights had already been turned on for some of the campus buildings. He hurried past the buildings, almost slipping on a patch of frosty grass but managing to retain a certain gracefulness. His hands were numb with cold and he fumbled with the key to the drama studio. When he finally slotted it into the door, he frowned to find it already open. _I did lock it earlier, right?_

He closed the door behind him, relishing in the warmth of the arts building. He shifted the fit of his messenger bag on his shoulder, flicking his long viridian hair out of his eyes in the process. The building was comfortably quiet, only the hum of the radiators to be heard as the teen sauntered down the corridor. He passed a room cautioned off by warning tape, with a sign informing him of a burst pipe. He ignored it, pushing the door opposite it.

The drama studio was a large empty space, the wooden floor's varnish patchy from years of overuse. Heavy velvet curtains blocked light from the windows at the end of the room, which flanked a small stage used for practises. Real performances were held in the main auditorium. For Jae Ha, it was a relaxing place in the holidays. At least, when it was empty.

Which it was not.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jae Ha makes a friend...

He frowned, watching the person in the room. They had headphones blocking out the world as they twirled in the empty space. Obviously a dance student, Jae Ha could tell that much from the elegance of his movements.

He dropped his bag by the wall, walking up to the person slowly. He noticed how their eyes were closed and wondered how the person hadn't hurt themselves yet. He had strangely light hair, a white that almost blue. His skin, too, was incredibly pale, as though he never went outside. Jae Ha waited for the person to come close enough, then tapped him on the shoulder.

What came next was an impossibly high scream of surprise.

Both of them fell over in shock, the stranger staring at Jae Ha as if he had just revealed himself to be a dragon. The green haired man smiled apologetically, pressing his fingers to his shoulder, which he'd hit on a chair as he fell over.

"Hi..." He might've gotten the stranger's attention, but he had absolutely no idea what he was planning to say. The person frowned at him, not unkindly but rather curiously.

"Who are you?" Jae Ha looked into the person's crystal blue eyes.

"Jae Ha, I'm a theatre student. You?" The person swapped his frown for a shy smile.

"Kija, I'm a dance student. Sorry for using your space, the dance studio is flooded and I didn't expect anyone to be using this place, so..." He trailed off, face still flushed from the surprise of being interrupted. "Why are you here alone?"

"I got locked out of my dorm, so I thought I'd practise." Kija tipped his head.

"How can you practise theatre alone? I thought it was a group thing..?" His voice is pretty. Jae Ha mentally flinched, wondering where on earth the thought had come from. Instead of answering his pondering, he pulled a small book from his bag.

"I'm doing a piece for Romeo and Juliet. The speech part when Romeo sees her at the balcony."

"Oh." Kija nodded. Music still pulsed from his headphones, which now lay by the pair who still sat in the floor. He picked up the headset and pulled his iPod from his pocket.  
"You said you were locked out of your dorm, right?" Jae Ha nodded. "Well, do you want to go get coffee? I mean, if you're not too busy..?"

"Sure." Kija looked up at him, surprised, as if he hadn't expected him to say yes. The pale teen stood up, picking up his bag and pulling on an oversized hoodie. Jae Ha stood up as well, shouldering his bag once more, tucking his book back inside one of the canvas pockets. Kija smiled at him.

"Let's go."

-

Kija waited as Jae Ha locked the building's front door, not wanting to get scolded if his theatre teacher found out he'd left it open. The air was as cold as it had been before, if not colder, and Kija shivered in his thin clothing.

"Here." Jae Ha pulled off his thick scarf, having dressed appropriately for the frosty weather. The white haired boy blinked at him, tipping his head cutely. Wait what? Jae Ha rolled his eyes, wrapping it around the smaller teen's neck messily. "You look cold." Was all the explanation he gave. Kija smiled, pulling the scarf up around his neck.

"Thanks." They set off down the frosty path. Jae Ha found out that Kija was from somewhere not too far from the college, and that he stayed so close because his grandmother and he had a very close relationship. _Of course, he's gonna be a sweet person..._

"Are you close with your family?" The emerald haired teen winced. It was always awkward when this question arose. He didn't like the pity that came with the answer. There's nothing you can do with pity, so why do people give it out?

"No, I- um... My mother is dead and..." He saw something flash across Kija's face, an emotion that was gone as soon as it had appeared. He didn't have time to register it before the other spoke.

"Oh, well... At least you have friends, right? They're the family you can choose." Jae Ha frowned as Kija grinned up at him.

"That's true. I've never looked at it that way before..." He smiled as well, starting to like the dancer a lot more.

-

As they walked into the coffee shop, Kija waved to the barista. A boy with sun-coloured hair gave him a huge grin, almost knocking over a coworker as he waved back enthusiastically.

"Hello, Zeno..." Jae Ha gazed around the coffee shop as Kija chatted with his friend. It was your average college cafe, all the colours of the hired chain. Jae Ha vaguely recalled visiting at one in the morning, having been in need of coffee to stop him falling asleep as he revised for exams. He shrugged mentally. _Sounds like something I'd do._

Kija eventually led him over to a table in the corner of the cafe, handing him his drink. The reddish lights dyed the teen's white hair a pinkish tint. They were quiet for a moment before the taller teen spoke.

"So... Why didn't you go home, for the holidays?" The boy frowned, turquoise-blue eyes darkening slightly. Jae Ha wondered if he'd touched a nerve. Kija didn't look at him while he spoke.

"I don't want to talk about it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha cliffhanger...
> 
> That chapter was a bit longer, plus I think I've worked out a plot haha
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Frost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kija is stubborn and Jae-Ha is worried....

The next time he ran into Kija, he literally ran into him. He had been rushing to history class, having slept through his alarm for what felt like the eight millionth time that week. Regretfully, the holidays were over and the theatre was once again filled with students just about 24/7.

Kija had fallen back, Jae-Ha slipping the opposite way. They landed hard on the frosty ground. Jae-Ha quickly sat up, rubbing his head where he'd hit the pavement. There was no blood, so he assumed it would be okay. He'd get a hell of a bruise though.  
Kija, on the other hand, propped himself up on his elbow, wincing as he flexed the fingers of his left hand. They were bound in bandages, half hidden by his long sleeves. Immediately, guilt decided to crush Jae-Ha. Offered a hand to his... friend? He wasn't sure if he could call him that yet. Acquaintance was more appropriate.  
The other student smiled briefly, taking the offered help with his good hand. Jae-Ha smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry. I guess I should look where I'm going," he apologised. Kija nodded slightly, looking a little away with the fairies. "What happened to your hand?"

The question appeared to jolt the dance student out of his thoughts. He jumped, as though just realising he was being talked to. "Oh, nothing. I fell," He dismissed the worry, smiling at Jae-Ha. The latter couldn't help but get the feeling that it was more than a little forced. Those aqua eyes seemed unfocused and there were dark shadows beneath them. Coupled with the hints of red lingering there too, the sight made a floodgate of concern open inside Jae-Ha, flooding through him as fastear than one could say ' _no you didn't_ '.  
He glanced at his watch. All hopes of arriving to his history class on time were dashed. He sighed, wondering if he could really be bothered in going. He knew that Yona, just about his only friend in that class, was ill, plus it wasn't as if he was falling behind. In fact he was rather ahead of the class. He looked back to Kija, frowning.

"Come with me."

  
-

  
Thankfully, the walk across campus wasn't very long. The January air was still frightfully cold, frost littering the grass even at midday. _At least I haven't been snowed in this year..._

The theatre was empty. It was no surprise; practise had shifted to the auditorium as to prepare for that summer's performance. Each class was to put on a different play. Jae-Ha's had been assigned _Romeo and Juliet_ , with the student himself playing the leading role. It was a shame that the girl playing Juliet happened to be one of the most irritating people he'd ever met.

He dragged Kija into the dark room, flicking the lights on as they passed the switch. Whilst some might find a deserted theatre creepy or off putting, it was practically a second home to the drama student. There was nothing to fear in the curtains or backstage rooms.  
So he sat Kija down in the front row, putting their bags on the stage. The smaller student didn't look at him as he did so, preferring to focus his pretty blue gaze on his hands. They were folded neatly in his lap, his right hand over his left. Jae-Ha couldn't surprises the idea that he was attempting to hide his injury. He leaned against the stage, arms crossed.

"Tell me what really happened, Kija," He said. The words drew no reaction from the aforementioned student. Instead, he continued to stare down, his pale hair hiding his face. Jae-Ha frowned, biting back the urge to sigh. "If you don't tell me, I can't help."

"I'm fine," Kija mumbled. Jae-Ha narrowed his eyes.

"I don't think so," he retorted. "Look, if you're having a hard time, I get it. But bottling it up will only hurt you more in the end."

"I said I'm fine," Kija interrupted. He still hadn't looked up. Jae-Ha moved to take the seat next to him, attempting to see the other's face. It was in vain, however, as the dance student looked away and hid his face once more.

"What happened?" He didn't let up his questions. Kija didn't give up his refusal to tell him. "Please tell me... Did you do this yourself?" He asked. The other shook his head. Jae-Ha leaned back a little, sad realisation hitting him. "Was it someone else?"

The words were soft - overly so, practically inaudible. But he didn't miss the way Kija froze, letting out a tiny gasp. He didn't miss the way his shoulders began to tremble and how he unfolded his hands in his lap. Jae-Ha took the bandaged one in his own. The other student's head whipped around, his eyes wide and panicked. His pale face was flushed, something like fear lingering in his eyes, along with the shimmer of unshed tears.

"I'm going to ask you what happened," he stated. Kija bit his lip. "I'm going to ask you why. I'm going to tell you that you don't have to put up with it."

He didn't break eye contact with Kija as the student's tears spilled over and started streaming down his flushed face. Jae-Ha held the other's uninjured hand, using his thumb to trace soothing circles on it as Kija buried his face in his knees. They stayed like that for what felt like hours, until finally Kija's sobs died down. Jae-Ha smiled softly as the dancer looked up.

"Come on," he said soothingly, still tracing circles. "You that if you want to talk, I'm always here for you."

Kija smiled, stray wisps of hair sticking to his wet cheeks. He was still shaking slightly, hiccuping as he calmed his breathing. Jae-Ha let him lean into his shoulder as they sat in the dimly lit theatre, surrounded by red velvet seats. He waited as his friend- yes, _friend_ , was the right word, got quieter, until he'd become all but silent.

"I'm fine." Kija whispered, fiddling with the bandages on his hand. Jae-Ha frowned, glancing at him.

"So... What happened?" He asked. Immediately, Kija froze up again. With an odd sense of deja vu, he got his answer.

"I don't want to talk about it." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all who waited for this - and all who are reading for the first time!
> 
> I'll try to update sooner this time... And with a longer chapter.... Sorry...
> 
> Hope you liked it!

**Author's Note:**

> Hehe, this was a really random idea that came to me so...
> 
> *shrugs* 
> 
> Well, thanks for reading!! ^^


End file.
